Resistance Storyline
1898-1921 The world of Resistance diverged from the real world during the Spanish-American War. The United States was on the brink of war with Spain following reports of Spanish atrocities in Cuba and the sinking of the USS ''Maine ''in Havana Harbor. American President William McKinley, a pacifist who was reluctant to get involved and eager to save face, sent an ultimatum to Spain to grant Cuba's independence or face U.S. military action in all Spanish territories. Spain accepted the terms in order to retain what is left of its world empire, and to avoid war with the U.S. This set the course for the United States' favoritism towards isolationism for the next half-century. In 1908, an unknown celestial object penetrated Earth's atmosphere and landed in the Tunguska region in Siberia. This became known as the Tunguska Event. The alien parasitic race known as the Chimera originated from this impact, in that the viral strain that creates the Chimera was somehow transported by the object. While the locals were well aware of the impact, the Russian government did not take any interest into the site of the crash until the 1920s. By 1914, the Great War was initiated when British and French forces invaded the German colony of Togoland. The United States did not participate in the conflict despite President Woodrow Wilson's request for a declaration of war against Germany. There was a growing consensus in America that direct involvment was appropriate in response to Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare, but isolationist sentiment in Congress prevailed. In October 1917, the Russian Revolution was brutally crushed by forces led by Tsar Michael, the brother of his predecessor Nicholas II following his abdication, resulting in Russia maintaining its autocratic state and continuing its involvement in the Great War; however, Russia was summarily defeated by Germany and forced to sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and relinquished all claims to several territories to Eastern Europe. As a result of Russia losing its territories and breaking up its empire, this subsequently sow further unrest in Russia in the years to follow. The Great War ended with a German armistice and an Allied victory was set by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. A key point in the Treaty of Versailles called for the formation of the European Trade Organization (ETO), in which this organization was dedicated to encourage all European nations to work together to establish peace and economic stability followng the war. Russia, however, did not agree with the established policies of the Treaty of Versailles and was becoming extremely cautious over the growing face of European anti-imperialist propaganda. Relationships between Russia and Western Europe exacerbated after twelve French spies in Russia were caught in Russia and hastily executed for allegedly encouraging insurrection. This culminated in Russia isolating itself from the outside world and sealing its borders behind the Russian Wall, a large fortified military barrier, which was constructed along the Russian/European border. 1921-1940 In August 1920, Russian mineralogist Leonid Kulik led a scientific expedition into the Tunguska region to investigate the Tunguska Event. Kulik's expedition interviewed the local Evenki people, who witnessed the event, and learned that something ominous entered Earth's atmosphere and created the massive explosive impact crater left behind. A month later, Kulik and his expedition mysteriously disappeared and were never seen again after an intensive search. In the years that follow under Russia's isolation, mysterious incidents occurred ranging from bizarre weather changes and a deadly slick enriched with radon contaminated the Volga River. By 1927, the Russian government learned the existence of the Chimera in which government agents witnessed the alien beings attacking on several villages. In awe of the advanced technology of the Chimera, the Russian government saw potential in obtaining the Chimeran technology for their selfish hopes of dominating scientific progress over the West and the Russian population. In response, the Russian military was mobilized against the Chimera, leaving a majority of the country undefended. Despite the small forces the Chimera have in possession, they were able to overcome Russian military forces and easily infecting and converting thousands of human soldiers to the Chimeran virus. Desperate to turn the tide of the war against the invaders, the Russian government sought a cure to the Chimeran virus. In this endeavor, Russian scientist Dr. Fyodor Malikov, who had foreknown knowledge about the Chimera, created an experimental vaccine which shows promise in creating a genetic resistance to the Chimeran virus. The Russian government then ordered the remaining surviving soldiers to be vaccinated with Malikov's vaccine, despite the unknown long-term effects. In a very short time, the vaccinated soldiers proved themselves to be immune to the virus, and also becoming militarily capable and on par with the Chimera. However, in the months that follow the soldiers displayed signs of insanity and very violent behaviors. Eventually, Dr. Malikov's vaccine was proven a failure as 90% of the vaccinated soldiers went AWOL and degenerated into roving savage bands that terrorized the countryside, calling themselves as the "Cloven". The Cloven were non-human and non-Chimera. Barbaric and unpredictable, Moscow fell to them. Russia could not handle fighting both the Cloven and the Chimera. The Chimera eventually broke into western Russia and devastated the population. By the late 1940s, all of Russia had fallen, and the Chimeran numbers can be estimated either in the tens of millions or close to a hundred millions. Category:Resistance Events